This year’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning, one of the most popular fundraising events in the UK, is taking place on September 29th… so it’s time to start thinking about how you’re going to put your very finest private label coffee to good use!

The aim of the event, put on each year by Macmillan Cancer Support, is to raise funds and awareness for cancer research and to make sure that those currently fighting the disease don’t have to do it by themselves.

Figures from the charity show that there are now 2.5 million people in this country living with cancer and by the year 2030, it’s expected that this will have reached four million people. The organisation’s goal is to ensure that no one faces cancer by themselves, with medical, financial, practical and emotional support provided.

And it actually couldn’t be easier to take part in the event come the 29th – all you have to do is sign up for your free Coffee Morning Kit and take it from there. Last year, the charity raised an amazing £29.5 million through their Coffee Morning initiative and it wants to raise even more this year. Once you sign up, you’ll receive your kit within 12 working days. While you wait for your kit to arrive, you can get started planning your own Coffee Morning by downloading posters and games from the Top Tips section on the Macmillan website.

The campaign has been running since 1990 and started off with just a simple idea – guests get together over a cup of coffee and donate the cost of their drink to Macmillan at the same time. It proved to be such an effective event that they did it again the year after but on a national scale. And ever since then, the Coffee Morning campaign has raised more than £165.5 million for Macmillan!

Tips from the charity to help your Coffee Morning be successful include inviting everyone you know, from colleagues and neighbours to family and friends. It’s incredibly easy to do these days thanks to the internet – just send around an e-invite to everyone in your inbox, or by sharing your event on Facebook.

Once you’ve got your event all sorted just ask your guests to make some donations for the cakes and coffee. Think about running raffles or competitions as well as a way of making even more money for a truly worthy cause. The good folk at Macmillan have thought of everything and even provided you with posters and decorations you can print out to really help bring your event to life.

There’s also a baking recipes section on the Macmillan site so if you’re stuck for ideas when it comes to what cake to bake, just head there for some inspiration. They all come from famous faces like Rupert Grint, Greg Rutherford, Caroline Quentin and lots more… so you’re sure to find at least one recipe you can’t wait to make.